CAMBRIDGE, Mass. and HANOVER, N.H. — After over a month off for final exams and the holidays, Cornell women's hockey returns to the ice for a pair of road games against ECAC Hockey and Ivy League foes. Both Harvard and Dartmouth will be looking to right the ship this weekend, with the Crimson dropping three of its last four heading into the break and the Big Green losing seven straight.  Friday's game at Harvard will be streamed live on ESPN3.
 
GAME 15: Cornell Big Red at No. 9/9 Harvard Crimson
WHEN: Friday, Jan. 8, 2015, 7 p.m.
WHERE: Bright-Landry Hockey Center — Cambridge, Mass.
2015-16 RECORDS: Cornell 6-6-2 (2-3-2 ECAC Hockey), Harvard 8-4-1 (5-3-1 ECAC Hockey)
LIVE STATS:  GoCrimson.com
LIVE VIDEO: ESPN3, Ivy League Digital Network
 
GAME 16: Cornell Big Red at Dartmouth Big Green
WHEN: Saturday, Jan. 9, 2015, 4 p.m.
WHERE: Thompson Arena — Hanover, N.H.
2015-16 RECORDS: Cornell 6-6-2 (2-3-2 ECAC Hockey), Dartmouth 4-9-1 (4-3-1 ECAC Hockey)*
LIVE STATS:  DartmouthSports.com
LIVE VIDEO: Ivy League Digital Network
*records do not include Saturday's games
 
GAME NOTES:
Cornell | Harvard | Dartmouth
 
ABOUT THE BIG RED
After a rocky start to the season, Cornell won four of its last five games heading into the holiday break, including a weekend sweep of Boston University and Vermont en route to the Windjammer Classic title in November. However, the Big Red will be looking to get back to its winning ways after getting shut out at No. 5/6 Clarkson to close the first semester. Of Cornell's six losses, four have come at the hands of nationally ranked opponents, including two to now-No. 1 Boston College. The Big Red has relied on a balanced offense, with 17 of the 18 skaters who have dressed for Cornell this season getting on the scoresheet, including 16 with multiple points. Junior Hanna Bunton leads the team with 15 points (8-7—15).
 
ABOUT NO. 9/9 HARVARD
The Crimson has been nationally ranked all season and has been in the top tier of the ECAC Hockey standings. After dropping its season-opener to Dartmouth, Harvard then went on a 7-0-1 streak, including a 3-0 blanking of then-No. 4/4 Northeastern's potent offense. However, the Crimson dropped three of its last four heading into the break, splitting a series with then-No. 10 Minnesota-Duluth and falling to conference foes Princeton and then-No. 4/4 Quinnipiac. The Crimson's special teams have been absolutely dominant, ranking fourth nationally with 25 percent efficiency on the power play and third on the penalty kill with 92.9 percent efficiency. In addition, Harvard has yet to lose at the Bright-Landry Center, going 5-0-1 on home ice. Despite having just a .500 record, senior goaltender Emerance Maschmeyer has been impressive, posting a 1.48 goals-against average and .954 save percentage. Preseason All-ECAC Hockey selection senior Miye D'Oench has continued to produce offensively with 17 points (8-9—17) in 13 games.
 
THE SERIES VS. HARVARD
The Crimson's three wins over the Big Red last season lifted Harvard to an all-time 55-26-4 advantage over Cornell. The Big Red will be looking for vengeance this weekend; the last time the sides met was in last season's ECAC Championship when the Crimson took a commanding 7-3 win to earn an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. Cornell's last win over Harvard came in the 2014 ECAC Hockey Semifinal when the Big Red defeated the Crimson 6-4 en route to a conference championship.
 
ABOUT DARTMOUTH
The Big Green had an impressive start to the season, defeating then-No. 5/5 Harvard in the opener to take over the tenth spot in both polls the following week. Dartmouth then tied then-No. 4/5 Clarkson a week later before shutting out Brown, Rensselaer and Union to climb the ECAC Hockey standings. Since then, however, the Big Green has dropped seven straight, though four of those losses came at the hands of nationally ranked opponents, including a pair from then-No. 1/1 Wisconsin. Junior Kennedy Ottenbreit (6-7—13) and senior Laura Stacey (5-8—13) are tied for the team lead in points while senior Lindsey Allen leads the team in goals with eight. Junior Robyn Chemago has played 14 games between the pipes, recording a 2.61 goals-against average and .912 save percentage.
 
THE SERIES VS. DARTMOUTH
The Big Green holds an all-time record of 42-30-7 over the Big Red dating back to the 1970s. The sides split the season series in 2014-15, with each winning on the other's ice. Goals from Jess Brown and Sydney Smith lifted Cornell to a 2-1 win on Jan. 23, 2014 before Dartmouth squeaked by with a 3-2 win on Feb. 14, 2014 behind 44 saves from Chemago. The loss snapped the Big Red's six-game unbeaten streak against the Big Green.
 
ABOUT HEAD COACH DOUG DERRAUGH '91
Entering his 11th season directing Cornell women's hockey, Derraugh has brought the program to national prominence. He amassed a 189-112-24 record in his first ten seasons with the Big Red and has led the team to four ECAC Hockey Tournament Championships, four Ivy League Championships and five NCAA tournament appearances, including three trips to the Frozen Four. From 2009-10 to 2013-14, his teams notched five consecutive 20-win seasons for the first time in program history.
 
NATIONS CUP
Senior captain Cassandra Poudrier, junior Hanna Bunton and freshman Micah Hart competed with the Canadian Women's National Development Team this week in the 2016 Nations Cup in Germany. Team Canada defeated Sweden, 2-1, in a shootout on Monday in the first game of the preliminary round. Poudrier, who was serving as one of Canada's assistant captains, assisted on the team's first goal in a 4-2 preliminary-round win over Russia on Tuesday to earn Canada a spot in the gold medal game.
 
HATS OFF
*Senior Jess Brown netted her second career hat trick in Cornell's 4-3 win over St. Lawrence on Dec. 4. Brown tallied in each period and was responsible for the game-winner.  
*Junior Hanna Bunton notched her first career hat trick, part of a four-point outing, in the Big Red's 6-1 rout of Mercyhurst on Nov. 21. The final of her three goals on the afternoon was her eighth of the season, a career high just 10 games into the year.
 
WINDJAMMER WINNERS
The Big Red won the Windjammer Classic hosted by Vermont the weekend of Nov. 28-29, beating Boston University, 4-2, and Vermont, 4-0, for the team's first weekend sweep of the season. Senior captain Cassandra Poudrier was named the tournament MVP and earned All-Tournament honors after a five-point weekend. Forwards freshman Pippy Gerace and senior Taylor Woods and freshman goaltender Marlene Boissonnault were also named to the All-Tournament Team.
 
WEEKLY HONORS
Poudrier was named ECAC Hockey Player of the Week and Gerace earned Rookie of the Week honors the week of Nov. 30 for their performances in the Windjammer Classic. Poudrier posted two goals and three assists in the tournament while Gerace added two goals, including the game-winner against Boston University, and an assist.
 
ON THE ROAD AGAIN
The Big Red is in the midst of a nine-game stretch away from Lynah Rink. Cornell will not play another home game until Jan. 15 when it hosts Yale. All of the Big Red's wins so far this season, though, have come on the road. The team is currently 6-3 away from Ithaca.
 
PUTTING UP NUMBERS
After averaging just a goal a game in October, the Big Red has scored 27 goals over its last eight games, netting at least three in six contests over that span. Once near the bottom of the national rankings for scoring offense, Cornell has climbed to 16^th in Division I with an average of 2.43 goals per game.
 
WITH THE ADVANTAGE
Since scoring three power-play goals in a weekend series with Mercyhurst, Cornell has now scored a man-advantage goal in three of its four games since then, including three in a 4-0 win over Vermont.
 
AT THE HART OF IT
After adding two assists in the Big Red's 4-3 win over St. Lawrence on Dec. 4, freshman Micah Hart has recorded eight points (1-7—8) in the past six games. She earned her first career points for Cornell in a three-point weekend against Mercyhurst. Hart scored the Big Red's lone goal on Nov. 20. The next day, she posted two assists, her first career multi-point game, in Cornell's 6-1 win before adding three assists in the Windjammer Classic.
 
FRESHMEN FIREPOWER
Cornell's freshman class has been impressive so far this season. Defenseman Micah Hart leads the Big Red rookies with eight points, while forward Pippy Gerace has four goals and five points. Hart ranks 24^th nationally in both points per game among defenseman and among rookies, while Gerace is 44^th among rookies. Christian Higham has added two goals and an assist, and Lenka Serdar and Diana Buckley each have three assists.  
 
BEATING THE UNBEATEN
Cornell's thrilling 2-1 win over then-No. 10/10 Princeton was the Tigers' first loss of the season, after going 4-0-0 in their first four games. Princeton was the last team in ECAC Hockey to surrender an unbeaten, untied record. The win was also the Big Red's first victory over a ranked opponent this season.
 
SHUTOUT STREAK SNAPPERS (x3)
*Taylor Woods' first goal at Princeton snapped Tigers goalie Alysia Dasilva's shutout streak of 118 minutes, 44 seconds.
*Junior Hanna Bunton scored the Big Red's first goal of the season 4:50 into the third period on Oct. 24 against No. 2/2 Boston College, marking the first time BC goaltender Katie Burt had let a puck past her in over 150 minutes of play.
*Quinnipiac goaltender junior Sydney Rossman hadn't surrendered a goal in 81:28 when Bunton netted the first goal of the game at 12:29 of the first period on Nov. 7, an eventual 3-1 Bobcats victory.
 
THE PUCK STOPS HERE
Junior goaltender Paula Voorheis posted a spectacular performance in net in the Big Red's season opener against now-No. 1/1 Boston College on Oct. 24. Against BC's potent offense, Voorheis made 40 saves, including stopping all 17 shots that came her way in the second period. Voorheis allowed just two goals on the night, with the Eagles' other two tallies coming in the form of empty net goals when Cornell pulled Voorheis in favor of an extra attacker in the games' waning moments.
 
GOING PRO
In the newly formed National Women's Hockey League (NWHL), teams can draft players entering their final year of NCAA eligibility in order to sign them once they finish their collegiate play. Senior captain Cassandra Poudrier was picked 18th overall in the 2015 NWHL Draft by the Connecticut Whale. Four Cornell women's hockey alumnae are currently playing in the league, which is in its first season: Alyssa Gagliardi '14 (Boston Pride), Lauren Slebodnick '14 (Boston Pride), Jenny Scrivens (Niesluchowski) '10 (NY Riveters) and Erin Barley-Maloney '13 (NY Riveters). In addition, eight former Cornellians are playing in the Canadian Women's Hockey League. Emily Fulton '15 was a first round CWHL draft pick this season, going to the Toronto Furies. Linemates Brianne Jenner '15 and Jill Saulnier '15 were both drafted by the Calgary Inferno, where they will join Rebecca Johnston '12, Jessica Campbell '14 and Hayleigh Cudmore '14. Laura Fortino '13 (Brampton) and Lauriane Rougeau '13 (Montreal) also play in the league.

RECORDS WATCH
*With her first goal of the game at Mercyhurst on Nov. 21, junior Hanna Bunton moved into a tie for No. 17 on the Cornell all-time list for game-winning goals with seven. Senior Taylor Woods is currently tied for the No. 23 spot with six. Bunton is two game-winners away from being tied for tenth.
*Woods is tied for 12th all-time with 12 career power-play goals. She is three power-play goals away from knocking Jeri Maerz out of 10th.
*Woods' short-handed goal against Princeton tied her for 10th all-time with three man-down tallies.
*Bunton is tied for 12th all-time with two short-handed goals.
*Woods has surpassed Caeleigh Beerworth for the No. 12 spot with 303 career shots on goal. She needs 15 shots on goal to surpass Liz Zorn in the No. 11 spot. Woods was also No. 13 for shots per game with 2.69 entering her senior season.
*After the Windjammer Classic, senior Cassandra Poudrier jumped two spots into 15th all-time in  career shots on goal. With 234, she is just 23 shots away from overtaking Alyssa Gagliardi in 14th.
*Bunton has moved into the top 20 for shots on goal with 222 good for 18th.
*Junior Paula Voorheis sits at No. 6 for most career wins in program history with 28.
*With her blanking of Vermont, Voorheis is now tied for seventh with six shutouts.
*Voorheis moved into the No. 11 spot for saves with 30 saves against Rensselaer on Oct. 30. She now has 1342.
 
UP NEXT
After nearly two months away from Lynah Rink, the Big Red returns home on Jan. 15 and 16 for conference matchups with Yale and Brown.